Ammonite Planets (Omnibus): Ammonite Galaxy #1-3 (50 page)

“Stop it! Both of you!” Grace held up her hands. “You are both being really stupid.”

Diva swiveled around, and treated Grace to a furious flash of her eyes. “Keep out of this, Grace. Let me finish!”

Grace touched her arm, and signed her to be quiet. “Shush, Diva, you are really not helping. It is not the right time. Let’s hear what she has to say, shall we?”

Diva grumbled under her breath, with less volume. “Anybody can see she is only here to make things worse,” she said.

“I will say not one more word until this infidel has removed herself from my presence,” snapped Jalana. “I will not accept insults from foreign agitators!”

Diva straightened herself up to her full height. “You needn’t bother,” she said. “I wouldn’t waste any more of my precious time helping someone who so clearly doesn’t want my help.”

“Of course I don’t want your help!” Jalana snapped back. “I have a husband, and in any case I can take care of myself very well, thank you very much. I certainly don’t need to ask a foreigner for anything.”

“Fine,” answered Diva, “just fine!”

Grace gave a tug on Diva’s sleeve. “I don’t think this is going very well, Diva—” she began.

“I’ve met Cesan mules who are more tractable than this … this … person!” Diva’s teeth grated audibly together.

“And I have met puffer eels who are less inflated than you!” interposed Jalana quickly, determined not to be outdone.

Grace blew a sigh. “We are sorry to have bothered you,” she said. “Please excuse our intrusion.” And she pulled a rather unwilling Diva with her as she retraced her steps out of the shack. Diva was unrepentant.

“Let me stay,” she begged. “Let me stay! All I need is a dagger
and half an hour, and I will soon show her how we “foreigners” can be very handy in a tight spot. Of all the self-satisfied, stupid, overbearing …”

“… overbearing, eh?” muttered Grace, “a bit of ‘pot calling the kettle’ – if you ask me,”

Her friend simply stared at her in disbelief.

Grace held up her hands, “Don’t fight me now, Diva! I know just how much help you
can
be, remember?”

Diva gave a wry laugh. “I’m sorry, Grace, you are right. It’s just that I couldn’t stand there and listen to the way she spoke to Six. It was simply too much!”

“I know.”

“And the other one was there too. Did you see her?”

“That was Eight?” Neither of them look anything like Six, do they?”

“She is not Eight anymore either. Goes by the name of Samaliya now, if you please, now she is an Elder!”

“So why have they come? They can’t really believe that Six is going to stop the revolution just for them. Not that he
could
now”

“I don’t know, but I just bet they are planning something devious. There is something more to all this than simply trying to make Six feel bad.”

“Yes. I hope they aren’t trying to lead him into another trap,” mused Grace.

“Oh Cian!” Diva looked rueful. “My stupid tongue has got in the way again. Now neither of us is in there hearing what is going on. I’m truly sorry, Grace. Why don’t you go back in? Don’t worry – I’ll head back to my practice group.”

Grace slipped back inside the conference centre. She didn’t seem to have missed very much. The other girl, the one she now knew was Six’s other sister had been speaking, and was in the process of sitting down again.

Calab stood up.

“You have heard my wife speak,” he said. “Now I would like to take this opportunity to explain just what is going to happen to you all if you do NOT do as she has suggested.” He put a hand on Jalana’s shoulder tenderly. “The Elders will not tolerate this treason any longer. This should have been an internal fight. Now you have forced us to make other arrangements. The Elders have been in contact with the Sellites, and I must tell you that a treaty has been signed with the acting head of Sell, Atheron, authorizing the Sellites to participate in any future battles,” He looked up and around the room, “
using nuclear weapons.
”

Grace bit back a gasp. This was terrible news. That the Elders could sign a treaty with the Sellites had been expected; that they should authorize the use of nuclear weapons upon their fellow Kwaidians had not. She closed her eyes. And how on Sacras had Atheron got the other Sellites to agree to the use of nuclear power? It was unheard-of in Sell history. Nuclear weapons had always been considered only a deterrent. How was it possible that their use had been authorized? She felt sick. She would have to do something about this. The rebels would be easy targets. There would be no chance of escape for them. Grace’s head swam for a moment, forcing her to lean back more strongly into the wall to keep her balance. She turned her attention back to Calab, who was still speaking.

“… Naturally we would prefer not to resort to such—” he paused, and then smiled as he found the right word, “— definitive armament, but you leave us no choice. Your actions in declaring part of Kwaide as independent are illegal and totally unacceptable. You are traitors to your country, and if you do not rectify the situation we will obliterate you from the map.”

Six stepped forward. “When do you want an answer?” he asked, his voice thick.

The man stood up, and the whole delegation followed his lead. “You may have twelve hours,” he said.

Grace took a step forwards. “Not long enough,” she said. “We need more time. At least two days.”

The man gazed at her dispassionately, and thought for a moment.

“Very well,” he said finally. “You may have one day. We will return in exactly twenty-four hours for your answer.”

Six was still looking stunned, so Grace ushered the delegation out of the makeshift shack and accompanied them to the edge of the camp. When she got back Six was still standing in exactly the same place. He watched her enter the shack again, but his eyes were unfocussed.

“What have I done, Grace?” he asked. “Diva and I started this whole revolution, and now they are all going to die because of us. I can’t believe it.”

“We have to do something about it,” agreed Grace, taking him by the good elbow, and escorting him to the door. “So the first thing to do is tell everybody what has happened, and then decide how we can stop the Sellites bombing the planet, because I wouldn’t trust those Elders as far as I can throw them, and I’m pretty sure that their general pardon would involve shutting all of us up in blocks of cement with no food and water, and throwing the keys down the waste conduits of Benefice!”

“Is Diva OK?”

She nodded. “She reminded me of a mother hen guarding its chickens. She sure went for that sister of yours!”

Six was taken aback. “She did, didn’t she? It is almost as if—” He broke off. “Anyway. I have to go.”

Grace looked after his retreating back. “Thanks a lot Grace,” she said. “No, don’t mention it, Six! My pleasure! No need to hurry. We have a whole day before they blow us up into clouds of ash!”

SIX RACED INTO the training room, and then almost skidded to a halt. Diva, of course, was in front of a group of trainees, and her eyebrows were raised.

“Can I help you Six?”

“Come outside.”

“Look here, I am not at your beck and – oh very well, I suppose I could have a break. Five minutes, everybody!”

She followed him begrudgingly outside.

“Why did you do that?” Six demanded.

“What?”

“Stand up for me. Snipe at my sister.”

“Snipe? I don’t snipe, no-name – I was exchanging words.”

“Well why were you exchanging words? What is it to you what my sister says?”

“I am a friend.” Diva looked at her narrow, aristocratic toes. “Or can’t I stand up for you if I want?”

“Just a friend, Diva? Or is there something more?”

She looked thundery. “More? Of course there is nothing more. I already told you once—”

“—you belong to the Coriolan Meritocracy, I know. You are far too well bred even to associate with a no-name like me, I know. You are so far above me that you have to peer down that aristocratic nose of yours just to look at me, I know. So why, your highliness, did you stand up for me in there? You went at Jalana like a Tattula cat defending a thigh bone!”

“I so did not.”

“And don’t you flash those eyes at me, either. Explain yourself!”

“I will not!”

“Do you feel anything more than friendship for me, Diva?”

“Certainly not. As if! I couldn’t. How dare you even suggest such a thing?”

“Because if you do, maybe we could—”

“I DON’T!”

“I won’t ask you again!”

“Well, thank goodness for that, because there is nothing in the whole binary system – not Coriolis, not Kwaide, Not Valhai, Not Xiantha and certainly not Cesis – that could induce me to have a relationship with you, nomus. You are still an unmentionable. Get used to it!”

Six stared at her for a long moment. There was silence between them, although Diva was flushed. The Kwaidian was ice-cool.

“If nothing could ever induce you to have a relationship with me, then there is nothing more to be said.” He turned on his heel and left.

Diva glared after him, furious. How dare he ask her such a personal question? How dare he!

THE MEETING WAS dispirited. The idea of trying to escape nuclear weapons was terrifying. They had no idea what to do to avoid the coming conflict. All the rebels had congregated around the conference centre, and similar meetings were being held in the other two camps.

“Maybe Arcan could spirit us all away somewhere else?” suggested Diva. She seemed absent, not her usual self.

Grace shook her head. “The Sellites can detect where we are from outer space,” she said. “Even if we move they will find out our new location. The only way to do it would be to separate into individual groups of two or three – and how could we organize that in time? There are thousands and thousands of refugees now.”

“Even if we could space everybody out, they would die anyway,” pointed out Six morosely. “We need the supplies from Coriolis to subsist even here – and other parts of the wastelands are even more hostile. Perhaps we should vote on whether to abandon the revolution. Many of the Kwaidians here may prefer to go back to their old lives.”

“If the Elders allowed them their old lives back.”

Cimma stood up. “You have no choice,” she said. “By all means take a vote on it, but I see no alternative but to continue the fight. You have all come too far now to go back to cowering in a dungeon or a conduit. You must fight!”

There was a general murmur of agreement. Ledin, the pilot – who was very highly considered by the rest of the refugees – stood up too.

“I think we should take a vote now. All those in favour of going back to being slaves, stand up!”

There was a long pause, as everybody looked around the rest of the participants. Nobody stood up.

“Then we fight,” determined Ledin, and sat down.

Applause broke out, and the atmosphere began to lighten. There were a few moments of low conversation, and then a long silence set in. Nobody knew how to do battle against nuclear weapons.

In the end it was Grace who stood up next.

“Sell hasn’t the capacity to send missiles directly here from Valhai. So they will have to bring them by spaceship. The only solution I can think of is to enlist Arcan’s help in destroying the nuclear warheads.”

Six gazed at her in admiration. “Brilliant!” he said.

Grace shook her head. “It won’t be easy. Arcan can only move what he can ‘see’, which means that somebody has to find the spaceships, board them, detect the nuclear weapons and let Arcan know their location.”

Ledin pursed his lips. “That sounds very dangerous. Why can’t the orthogel entity simply blow the ships to smithereens?”

Grace shook her head again. “Arcan will not knowingly cause damage to any other sentient being, unless it is unavoidable. He would not help us if we asked him to kill for us.”

“Fair enough,” Ledin said. “Nobody could say that Arcan has not been a great help to New Kwaide! Who will undertake the mission?”

Grace looked around. “There is really very little choice,” she pointed out. “We will have to take our own spaceships, which means that Diva, Six and I are the logical choice. We all know how to pilot a ship, we all know Arcan, and we have all lived on Sell.”

“So have I!” Cimma stood up and lifted her chin proudly. “I will come too.”

“I think your place is here, Cimma,” Six told her. “The refugees will need you to lead the training program. But we will need you, Ledin, to stay on the orbital station. I think we should place a team up there from now on. We need to be able to defend the little that we have gained. If there are refugees on board they can call Arcan in an emergency.” He bent down and removed the circle of orthogel which he had been wearing around his ankle. Take this. I will show you how to call Arcan later.”

All these ideas were put to the vote, and then the meeting broke up. There was much to be done in preparation for an attack on the camps.

BACK ON VALHAI the three friends explained the situation to Arcan. They were sitting in Six’s old bubble in the ortholake, and the visitor from Dessia was also present, via video camera.

“I have been thinking for some time that the Sellites should not have nuclear weapons at their disposal,” he said. “But I don’t know exactly where they are stored.”

“Perhaps a trade could be effected,” said the hovering sphere. “You could help them to eliminate the weapons on board the spaceships, if they help you to eliminate those on Valhai.”

Six gave the machine a hostile look. “Who asked you to butt in?” he asked.

The machine whirred. “I am merely trying to be of assistance,” it said.

“Well, don’t,” snapped Six. “It is none of your business.”

“While it is true that we have a non-intervention policy with type 3 and below, we are obliged, in principle, to defend any class 2 and above.”

“Well we are class 3, according to your non-adaptable rules, so run away and play someplace else.”

“Arcan is class 2. I am obliged to assist him.” The machine hummed. “Although it is unclear what I should do in the event of a conflict between non-intervention in category 3 and obliged aid in category 2. That situation has never arisen.”

“I can see all these decisions are a bit much for you,” the untouchable told it. “Why don’t you go for a swim around your nutrient tank for a few days? I am sure it would be of great help.”

“All these things should be left to the higher species,” said the orb.

Six took a menacing step towards the globe, and looked it straight in the lens. “These things
are
my business, it is
my
planet. Honestly, I should grow a few more brain cells, if I were you. I think they left you a bit short.”

“Historically type 3b worlds are often obliterated by type 3a weapons. It is a statistically proven fact. It may even be considered part of the price of technological advance.”

“You can take your statistics and—”

“Six!” Grace said.

He looked in her direction. “And recalculate them,” he finished lamely.

“I shall accompany you at all times,” said the tiny machine. “Arcan may require my support.”

“Yeah. A fat lot of help you are going to be!”

“I shall mentor you.”

“Go mentor yourself! We don’t need your help when we have got Arcan. As if!”

“Nevertheless my duty is clear. The Dessites would expect me to protect Arcan at all times.”

“Have you been able to communicate with him directly yet?” Six asked sweetly. “No? – I thought not. You can only talk to him with normal sound via the two-way communication device. He can’t ‘see’ you, can he?”

“We are working towards a solution, but at the moment unassisted communication is still in the future.”

“These things take time, Six,” Arcan told him, sounding faintly amused by the whole process. “I will have to travel to the visitor’s spaceship at some stage, but we are still very much in the initial stages of exchanging parameters.”

“If these are only the initial stages it seems to have an awful lot to say for itself!”

“You probably find it difficult to understand,” said the little machine. “I have seen plans of your neurological layout and it is easy to see that you must use up most of your brain power just keeping that ungainly packaging on the move.”

“Wh-what?”

“That thing you call a body. Very impractical design. All those arms and legs. All that weight you have to carry around. And bone! Such an inefficient way of sustaining rigidity!”

Six looked at Grace and Diva. “I can’t believe I am being insulted by a few brain cells floating in a tank!” he said with utter disgust. “Arcan! Are you going to let him insult a friend of yours like that?”

“I am sorry, Six, but I am afraid I am in agreement about your brain. I myself have been surprised you could accommodate any facts at all in that limited area. I have told you before how wasteful it is to have bodies that have to walk around their habitat looking for food.”

“Never mind all that,” Diva interrupted, tired of listening. “Are you going to help us remove the nuclear warheads or not?”

“I am,” promised Arcan. “Though I would like your help after to find the weapons on Valhai too. I was going to suggest it myself.”

Grace nodded. “We can’t afford to leave any nuclear weapons at Atheron’s disposal. He is bound to use them if we do. I think we should eliminate any means of mass destruction which the Sellites have, if we can.”

Arcan scintillated. “I am prepared to destroy any nuclear weapons in the system – irrespective of who has made them. But the visitor has a point about not interfering with other species, and I will not interfere as far as conventional weapons are concerned. The globe is right – if I do, then I would have to take part in every little skirmish anywhere in the system, and you already know I am not prepared to do that!”

“Understood. That seems very reasonable. Apart from the nuclear weapons, you will leave us to our own devices.” Grace looked around at the others, and Diva nodded solemnly. Six’s face tightened, and it was clear that he would have preferred another decision, but he eventually gave a nod.

“Yes,” he said reluctantly. “I suppose that is fair.”

“What do you want me to do?” asked Arcan.

“Take us over to the orbital station on Kwaide, and then we will let you know if we manage to track the weapons. You would have to transport them somewhere where they can do no harm.”

“I will place them where we found Six, in a degrading orbit around Nomus. They can explode on the failed star with no consequences.”

“That sounds fine. Wish us luck!”

“I will be going with you. You will not need luck.”

THEY MET UP with Ledin on the orbital platform above Kwaide. He had brought a detail of men up to the station and they were already settling in.

Grace looked around with interest. She hadn’t been back since they had saved the station from Xenon’s attack. She felt rather fond of the hub – in a strange sense it felt almost welcoming. She made her way over to the central control panel, and waited for Diva and Six to join her.

“So – what’s the plan?” Six asked as he walked over.

“We have to find the Sellite ships. Then we have to get aboard, and isolate the weapons – that shouldn’t be any problem. Then we tell Arcan where they are, and … zazz! … end of weapons!”

“You make it sound easy!”

“I think we should get on with it before our friend from Dessia arrives to spy on us – just as well that it will take the visitor three days to get over here from Valhai.”

“Honestly, Six, you took an instant dislike to it on no basis whatsoever!”

“How can you like a life-form who probably looks like a plate of soup? I suppose we could always have it for lunch if we get caught short. Use up all those nutrients to feed our wastefully inefficient bodies.”

“The machine was a bit rude, wasn’t it?”

“Definitely – considering the actual body is only a few tendrils flopping around in a fishbowl. Not exactly the highest step on the evolutionary pyramid.”

“I suppose we
could
beat it out of here before the Dessite ship arrives,” said Grace doubtfully, looking at Diva.

“Let’s do it!” she grinned. “I can’t say I feel much like having some recording device telling me what to do.”

They spent the rest of the day equipping the two space traders with enough food and supplies for a fairly long stay in space. Diva and Grace chose to take the Variance, and Six was left with Atheron’s old vessel. Diva regarded it through the open spacelock thoughtfully.

“Oh no! What now?” said Six.

“This ship ought to have a name …” said Diva slowly.

“It certainly ought not,” said Six. “It is a machine, not a friend for life.”

“All spacecraft have names,” Diva informed him. “It is considered lucky.”

“That is sneaky of you, Diva!”